Notes / Commercial Description:
Clara (1906-1969) was our grandfather’s sister; Hill Farmstead Brewery rests upon the land that was once home to her and her 13 siblings. In her honor, this Grisette is crafted from American malted barley, Vermont Organic Wheat, European and American hops, our distinctive farmhouse yeast and water from our well. Unfiltered and naturally carbonated, this is the ale that I dream to have shared with Clara.

Pale Malt, Organic Vermont Wheat, American and European Hops, Ale Yeast, and our Well Water

Overall - This was my first Hill Farmstead beer years ago at the Blackback Pub. Revisiting it for the first time. Admittedly, it's not Hill Farmstead's best beer, but it caught my interest back then and has held it ever since.

More User Reviews:

4.75/5 rDev +15.6%

Was at HF this week. Of all the beers there, Clara was the clear winner from our group. Beat out double citra, double galaxy, Susan, citra, among the regulars. Also drinking better out of the bottle than Anna or Dorothy.

Not sure if they changed the recipe from previous years, but 2014s vintage is way better than reviews.

Big thanks to Ryan for sending me this packed into yet another stellar box o' beer! Clara is a bright golden libation with orange hues when the light is right. A good deal of haze makes the body tough to see through but does amplify the glow. The head is easy to produce, even on a soft pour I get a thick cap of silky white foam that leaves patchwork lacing on its way down.

Wow, musty wheat leaps from the glass as I pour. Wheat steals the show but there's a good amount of lesser components. An earthy, hard water element makes itself known shortly after the wheat. The yeast and hop blend add perfume driven depth, floral and modest. A solid squeeze of lemon brightens it all up. There's a little must, a little wildflower, a touch of the wild as a whole, but it's perfectly balanced. Impressive, very impressive!

The flavor profile is bright and quenching. Wheat melds perfectly with barley for a seamless concoction. It's fresh and straight from the farm. Floral qualities flash through at the back of the throat while lemon runs throughout, a touch of acidity livens it up. Phil Harmstead's yeast add, again, some of that wild; hard water, wildflowers, fresh cut hay. This is a damn good beer.

You're met with, appropriately, a lively, bubbly mouthfeel to keep the light body moving at a respectable pace. It's light and airy, thirst quenching and dry. The finish even leaves a soft bitterness in its wake accentuated by that dryness. They nailed the mouthfeel on this beer, near perfect for the style.

Of all the good to great Hill Farmstead farmhouse beers out there floating around this is up at or near the top of my favorites. It's rustic and bright, complex yet easy drinking, and a joy to partake on every level. This is a beer worth buying as much as possible. Thanks again, Ryan!

Nice low ABV offering to start off a session on a very hot Seattle afternoon - lovely peach color and strongly carbonated. Nice notes of grassy, hay, lemon, light yeasty tartness, a touch of rye, oak. This was good and receives considerably less fanfare than many other HF beers - don't believe the anti-hype.

Poured into a large win glass from a 750ml bottle and split with my wife.

Pours a nice slightly hazy pale golden color with some darker orange/light amber hues. There is a nice half inch white head that forms and recedes down to a nice thin mat.

Aroma is yummy. Nice notes of funk and musty barnyard with a nice dosage of citrusy American hops. There is also a nice floral aroma of the European hops. The nice malty and bready grain notes really shine in the aroma of this brew. I detect some slight sweet yeast phenols as well as some mil lemony tartness in the nose, quite faint. The best part of the nose is the slight citrusy and resinous notes of American hops.

Flavor starts off with pretty clean and bready grain. Nice and fresh notes of oats. This is followed by some funky yeast notes with some slight phenolic esters and some nice fresh mildly citrusy hop notes. Very clean and delicious saison. There is a sharp but mild and faint lemony tartness that shoots up near the end of the brew. The finish of the brew is nice and dry as expected and the grassy and herbal hop notes linger throughout with some nice bitterness to boost. Very yummy brew. Nice vivid and clean carbonation and a light body.

This is a delicious and drinkable light saison. Nice low ABV make for easy sipping. Great clean carbonation gives the brew a playful mouthfeel. The grain and yeast notes are delicious with some amazing funky notes some mild tartness and a nice lingering grassy and citrus hop notes.

Big thanks to TheLostGringo for sending this one my way - always excited to get Hill Farmstead stuff. Clara pours out like liquid gold - bright and beaming and completely solidified in terms of color; we are at 100% opacity. A slushy, white head builds up nicely, then breaks down and recedes almost as quick, leaving only a few spots of wet webbing on the side of the glass.

Hmmm... smells like a farm. A beautiful farm. Grassy notes, heavy must, lemon-lime zest, a mild citrus spritz and a moderate amount of lightly cheesy, barnyard funk. Yeasty, clumpy, with just a touch of spices and a faint tartness that brings everything together. Very masterful and refined on the nose - it just smells so refreshing, dry, and "well made".

There's a nice, slightly biting tartness that nips the tip of the tongue with each sip accompandied by a light basket of lemon zest and citrus flesh. The hops quickly come marching in; grassy, leafy, and one shade shy of floral. I haven't even swallowed the first sip yet, but I can already tell that this beer is a major rejuvenation and could easily be substituted as a thirst quencher.

A good bit of funk settles in mid-palate and lasts through the finish. Musty wood, light cheesecloth, and dust spread across an old, damp barnyard floor. The finish contains a good amount of that funk along with a lemon and apple skin, fruity reprieve. Tight, tight carbonation. Tight like a motherfuckin' tiger, snapping your tongue and whipping it into shape. Bold bodied for only 4% ABV, yet still relatively thin on the grand scale.

Wow, what a delicious beer. It would be so much dreamier in 12 oz bottles sold as six packs. This would be a definitely summer rotater. But alas! We must trade away our goods for a single 750 mL sized bottle. I'm not complaining too much, though, as I was generously hooked up and this beer would be worth it anyway. I was lovin' it hard. Refreshing, crisp, tasty, with insane, off the charts drinkability levels.

Poured from the bottle purchased at the HF brewery into a tulip glass. Comes out golden with the slightest haze, nice white head sticks around and leaves some lacing. Mixed aroma on this, a little yeasty but also a little hoppy, pretty nice. Good flavor, too. It definitely has some obvious hop notes swirling around, citrusy and bitter. Nice sweet malt is doughy and not too much. Solid yeast flavor to give it that characteristic farmhouse taste. Light body, tons of carbonation, benchmark mouthfeel. For 4% this has a ton of flavor, very well done.